Releasable door holder



May 30, 1933. HURD 1,912,206

RELEASABLE DOOR HOLDER Filed Sept. 14. 1929 ATTORNEY Patented May 30, 1933 UNITE STATES PATET oFFTcE NORMAN B. I-l'URD, OF NEVJ BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN HARDWARE CORPORATION, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF oonnncrrcnr RELEASABLE DOOR HOLDER Application filed September 14, 1929. Serial No. 392,633.

This invention relates to door holders adapted to retain a door in any desired open position relative to its casing, and adapted to release said door for closing when a fusible alloy is melted.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of door holder or door stop of the'type disclosed in my United States Patent No. 1,595,098, Au-

gust 10, 1926, for holding a door ajar at any desired position and to provide the same with automatic means to release and close the door in case of fire.

' In the drawing annexed hereto and forming a part of-this specification, I have shown but one embodiment of the invention which is now deemed preferable, but it will be understood that the invention can be otherwise embodied without departing from the spirit of the invention, the claims appended hereto more clearly defining and limiting the invention.

In the accompanying drawing Fig. 1 is a plan view of a door holder made according to the present invention associated with a door closing device shown inoperative relation to a door and doorcasing;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view on a larger scale than Fig. 1 through the pivotal connection between the arms of the door holder, the members being shown in their normal position;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the members in their released a s Fig. 1 is a view of one of the arms and the supplementary arm viewed from below Fig. 3.

In the employment of door holders of the pivoted arm type it is frequently expedient to use them in association with a door closing device. The door may then be manually A5 opened and automatically closed by the closing device when not opened beyond a limited position or, if moved to a fully open position may be frictionally retained in that position by the frictional locking together r of the arms of the holder. lVhen so used it is desirable to provide releasing means positions for the door holder operablein case of fire to permit the door closing device to promptly close the door. Briefly stated, therefore, a preferred form 'of the invention includes a door holder of the pivoted arm type, which holds the door open by means of a wedge member which is frictionally engaged between suitable bearing members. These bearing members become inoperative to clamp the wedge member by being slightly separated as soon as a fusible material incorporated in the mechanism of the door holder has become melted. Normally the door holder operates in the usual manner but as soon as the parts of the door holder have been subjected, as in the case of a fire, to suflicient heat to melt the fusible alloy a lever which holds the bearing members in their normal position is allowed to oscillate slightly. This frees the bearing members and releases the wedge member so that the door closing device may operate toclose the door.

Referring more in detail to the figures of thedrawing I show the door holder made according to the present invention associated with a door check or closing mechanism 10. This door check 10is indicated merely in outline as. its particular construction forms no part of the present invention, any door check or closing device adapted to force the door toward its closed position may be employed. This door check 10 as shown in Fig. 1 is mounted upon an intermediate part of a door 11 hinged as shown at 12 to the doorcasing or frame 13.

TIO

Attached to the operative or oscillatingshaft 14 of the door check 10 is an arm 15 of a pair of pivotally mounted arms forming the principal members of the door holder. At a point in the door casing or frame 13 is attached the other arm 16 of the pivotal arms preferably by means of a pivotal joint 16 attached directly to the top of the door frame 18. This arm 16 may, as shown, be made adjustable as to length in the usual manner to adapt it for doors of different sizes or proportions. The

free ends of the two arms are pivotally attached together so that the arms 15 and 16 may be held frictionally in adjusted position by means of the construction shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and as will be more fully described.

The arm 16 has a wedge member in the form of a cam ring 17 hinged thereto, the upper and lower surfaces of this member being disposed at a slight angle to each other. The member 17 is interposed between two bearing members which have opposite bearing surfaces adapted to cooperate with the upper and lower surfaces of the member 17. One of these bearing members is shown at 18 in the drawing. The other bearing member is indicated at 15" and is integral with or connected to the arm 15. In the drawing it is shown as part of the arm 15. The cam ring17 rotatably fits upon an upstanding hub 15* on the bearing member 15 and which hub is concentric to both of said bearing members. A key member 19 engages in recesses in the bearing members to restrain the member 18 from rotation relative to the arm 15. A bolt 20 passes freely through holes in the bearing members, the hole in the member 15 being located at one side of or eccentric to the center of the hub thereon. Friction plates 23 may be used between contacting surfaces as shown. At the lower end of the bolt 2Q is a nut 21 having an upstanding hub thereon. Below this is allocking nut 22.

Adjacent to the arm 15 is a lever 24 having at one end a hole through which passes the hub on the nut 21. The hub is loosely embraced by the lever so that the lever can pivot upon the nut 21 as a fulcrum. lever 24 controls the extent of separation of the arm 15 and the nut 21 longitudinally of the bolt 20. In its normal position shown in Fig. 2 the lever 24 contacts at 25 on one side of the bolt 20 with the lever side of the bearing 15 and contacts on the other side of the bolt 20 with the nut 21. There is considerable pressure between these contacting surfaces when the door is being held open by the door stop. At the other end of the lever 24 is a screw 26 holding that end of the lever 24 closely adjacent the arm 15. A thick fusible washer 27 is disposed directly above the head of the screw 26 and holds the lever 24 in position. The washer 27 is surrounded by a sleeve 28 large enough in diameter to permit the head of the screw 26 to pass through. The washer 27 is made of any standard commercial form of fusible alloy similar to that now used in sprinkler heads for fire protection systems. In event of a fire, as soon as the temperature surrounding the door holder is snfliciently raised, this fusible alloy 27 melts and thus permits one end of the lever 24 to tilt to the position shown in Fig. 3. This move ment of the lever 24 permits the bearing 15 to drop slightly and decreases the separation between said bearing and the nut 21.

The decrease of separation between the parts 15 and 21 releases the pressure between the member 17 and the members 18 and 15 and permits the door closer 10 to function to close the door. The door holder is then inoperative to hold the door again in its open position until the fusible member 27 has been replaced and the lever 24 restored to its normal operative Position.

The operation of the device is as follows: WVhen the cam ring 17 is rotated relatively to the bearing surfaces on the members 18 and 15, as occurs when the door is opened, the member 17 will become jammed between these bearing surfaces after a certain degree of rotary movement and will hold the door at a predetermined angle. When the fusible washer 27 is melted the lever 24 will move to a position which decreases the separation between the members 15 and 21 and release the jamming action of the members 17 15 and 18 so that thedoor closer 10 will function toclose the door.

I claim: I

1. A door holder mechanism, comprising a pair of arms pivotally joined together, bearing members adapted to cooperate with a cam ring for holding the door-in a predetermined position, one of said members being connected to one of said arms, a cam ring connected to the other of said arms and positioned between said bearing members, means connecting said bearing members, a lever controlling the extent of separation of said bearing members, and fusible means which when melted will permit said lever to operate by gravity so as to permit the separa-' tion of said bearing members and release the door.

2. A door holder mechanism comprising a pair of arms pivotally joined together, bearing members adapted to cooperate with a cam ring for holding the door in apredetermined position, one of said members being connected to one of said arms, a cam rin connected to the other of said arms an positioned between said bearing members, a bolt connecting said bearing members,-a nut on said bolt, a lever controllingthe extent of separation of one of said bearing members and said nut, and fusible means which when melted will permit said lever to operate by gravity so as to decrease the separation of said bearing member and said nut and release the door.

3. A door holder and closing mechanism, comprising a pair of arms pivotally joined together, a door closing mechanism connected to one of said arms, bearing members adapted to cooperate with a cam ring for holding the door in a predetermined position, one of said members being connected to one of said arms, a cam ring connected to the other of said arms and positioned between said bearing members, means connecting said bearing members, a lever controlling the extent of separation of said bearing members, and fusible means which when melted will permit said lever to operate by gravity so as to permit the separation of said bearing members and permit said door closing mechanism to close the door.

4. A door holder mechanism, comprising a pair of arms pivotally joined together, bearing members adapted to cooperate with a cam ring for holding the door in a predetermined position, one of said members being connected to one of said arms, a cam ring connected to the other of said arms and positioned between said bearing members, means connecting said bearing members, a lever controlling the extent of separation of said bearing members, and a screw and a fusible washer by means of which said lever is attached to one of said arms, said lever operating by gravity to permit the separation of said bearing members and release the door when said fusible washer is melted.

5. In a door holder, two lever arms hinged together at one end, said hinge connection comprising two spaced bearing plates at one end of one of said arms, one of said plates having a hub, a cam ring at one end of the other arm, said ring being mounted to rotate on said hub and between said plates, a bolt passing freely through said bearing plates and cam ring eccentric thereto, an adjusting nut on said bolt, a tiltable lever arm fulcrumed between the inner side of said nut and the adjacent bearing plate and when in one position operating to hold said parts properly spaced for door holding purposes and when in another position releasing said parts to permit the door to close, and means including a fusible element for holding said tiltable lever arm in the first-mentioned position while said fusible element remains intact.

6. In a door holder, two lever arms hinged to each other, such hinged connection comprising two spaced bearing plates carried by the end of one of said arms, a hub on one of said plates, a cam ring carried by the end of the other of said arms and mounted to rotate on said hub and wedge between said plates, a manually adjustable through bolt engaging said bearing plates to limit the spreading of the same under normal conditions, saidbolt passing through said hub and plates eccentrically, means coacting with said screw to automatically increase the spread of said plates under abnormal conditions, said means comprising a tiltable arm, means for holding said arm in a fixed position relatively to said adjusting means during said normal conditions, said means including a piece of material fusible under said abnormal conditions.

7 In a door holder, two lever arms hinged to each other, said hinged connection including under normal conditions a fusible link.

8. In a combined door closer and holder, a door closing mechanism adapted to be mounted on a door, a lever arm mounted thereon, a second arm hinged at one end to the first arm, and means for connecting the second arm at its other end to a door casing, a holder mechanism at the hinged ends of said arms comprising two spaced friction heads carried by one of said arms, a hub on one of said plates, a wedge ring rotatable on said hub, means connecting said plates eccentrically to limit the spread thereof whereby said wedge ring may be frictionally wedged and held between said plates at a desired angle of said arms relatively to each other to hold the door ajar, and means whereby in case of a fire said door may be released to be closed under the action of the closer mechanism, said means including a fusible element.

NORMAN B. HURD. 

